The guards secured their hands in front with thin bands. The second they closed around her wrists, her psi constricted. What the hell? She tried pushing her psi outward, but it was as though her body was a container it couldn’t breach. It was a horrid feeling and nearly sent her into a claustrophobic tailspin.
“Easy,” Dani said next to her. “They’re psi-bands. Don’t fight it, just relax.”
“This sucks.”
The guards didn’t find anything other than standard weapons and coms. The focal points were small and flat, easily missed.
She focused on Madge and Torgid. Madge was in bad shape and, according to Balastar, would be for hours. Torgid was another matter. They’d beaten him up pretty bad. Blood dripped from his nose and one of his eyes was swelling shut, but his chest was moving. He was breathing.
Beating an old man. Bastards. From their talk, it didn’t appear they’d found the hidden distorter. That was something. Kit glared at the guards, committing their faces to memory. “Wow. You guys are really impressive.”
“Shut your mouth,” Burns snapped.
“Bite me, you crag. Psi-suppressant on an old woman and beating up an old man. You must be proud.” Anger ruled her mouth, and she ached to smash her fist into his face.
Burns stepped over and back-handed her. Stars exploded in her head before she blinked her eyes clear. “And you can hit a woman with her hands tied.”
He hit her again.
“Kit, stop,” Dani pleaded.
Kit licked the blood from her split lip. She was going to make this one pay someday.
The guards rough handled the three from the house, leaving Madge and Torgid behind.
She stumbled down the stairs and onto the perfectly manicured lawn. Funny the stuff she noticed under duress.
“At least untie them,” Kit said, over her shoulder. “They’re going to need help when that shit you gave them starts wearing off.”
“You want us to be nice,” Burns said, “you should have thought of that earlier and kept your mouth shut.”
Yeah, she probably should have, but that was never a strong point with her. They shoved her head first into the back of a cruiser. She stumbled getting in and did a face plant into the door on the other side. Pain exploded as she inevitably smacked the spot where Burns had hit her. She pushed herself up as Dani and Ian got in after.
Pain pounded in her head, and her lip was bleeding heavily. She held the back of her hand against the split, trying to stop the flow of blood.
Dani sat next to her. “Relax,” she whispered. She pressed her hands against Kit’s. Skin on skin.
The touch allowed their psi to mingle. Dani’s was gentle and probing. “I’m not great at healing, but I can stop the bleeding.”
Closing her eyes, Kit let Dani do her thing.
“That’s about all I can do for now,” Dani said, a few moments later, putting her hands back in her own lap.
Ian leaned forward from the other side of Dani. “Do try and keep your mouth shut, all right?”
“Don’t hold your breath,” Kit said. “Thanks, Dani.”
“Shut up, back there.” Burns punched Kit in the head with his psi.
“Really?” Kit said. “Another assault on a helpless woman?”
Both Dani and Ian glared at her.
Kit leaned her head back against the seat and tried to get a grip on her temper. They had no way of knowing their destination, but they were being taken someplace. Kit’s hopes increased when the cruiser turned away from Ardos toward the mountains beyond. Sure enough, maybe an hour later, they descended toward the forest. The mountains were much closer now, and the purple-tinged treetops were thick enough to cover the ground. At twenty or thirty feet above the trees, they passed through a shield, and a compound under construction became visible. There was a three-story building at the corner of a large cleared space. 3-D fabricators hovered over a section to the left, and the trees had been removed for another quarter mile or so. But something was off. The fabricators weren’t functioning. In fact, they were being dismantled. Shipping containers littered the compound, and boxes and crates were being loaded in a hurry.
“What are they doing?” she asked Dani.
“Those are interstellar containers,” Ian said.
“Loc’s running.” Kit’s heart sunk. “How can he do that?”
“I didn’t think it was possible,” Ian said. “The Portal Masters never leave Sandaria. Never have as far as I know.”
Kit looked from Dani to Ian. “If he takes us off-world, will the focal points work?”
“Depends on which direction we go. We’re at the edge of the range now.”
Mother Goddess, what had she gotten them into?
They touched down near a group of buildings that looked to be complete. The guards led them inside and over to a large room off the entrance. The space was full of people. Her people. She scanned the faces and smiled when she saw her parents rushing forward. Her dad wrapped her in a bone crushing hug and opened up for her mother to join in.
“Thank the Goddess you’re all right,” Veera said.
“But what are you doing here?” Akio released them. “How did they get you? I don’t understand.”
“It’s a long story,” Kit said.
“Kit!” Brie approached with Thomas behind her. “We thought you escaped! What hap—” A look of shock crossed Brie’s face, her hand flew to her mouth, and tears formed in her eyes when she saw Dani.
Dani stood rooted to the floor and held Ian’s hand in a death grip. “Mom. Dad.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Brie and Thomas wrapped Dani in a hug that was ten years overdue.
“Look at you,” Brie said between tears. “You’re all grown-up.”
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Dani said. “I thought you were dead until I saw a vid of you being abducted.”
“How did you see a vid of our abduction?” her father asked.
“We’ll fill you in, but first what happened to you? Aunt Sulaban said you were killed in a plane crash.” There was an edge to Dani’s voice, and Kit could only imagine what she must be going through.
Brie placed a hand on Thomas ’s cheek. “Your father became ill. A Vertan bug that is easily treated on our home world but would have killed him on Earth. We knew there was a possibility our distorter was compromised, but it was the only way to save him.”
“We didn’t realize they’d increased the range of impact,” Thomas said with a deep sadness in his voice. “Your mother was supposed to stay on Earth with you. Instead, she ended up on Vertan with me.”
“Oh, baby girl.” Brie stroked Dani’s hair. “We had no credits and were seen as deserters by everyone but family. It took us ten years to build up enough money to buy passage back to Earth. That’s how we met Kit here. She agreed to the price we offered and was already going in the right direction.” Her mother stared at her. “And what of you? Did you go to live with Sulaban?”
“Yeah. I grew up on Cat Island. Still live there.”
The sadness in her voice tore at Kit’s heart. She could tell Dani and Ian were talking when Dani laughed.
“Sorry, a lot to process here. Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet my psi-mate, Ian Cavacent.”
Kit and her parents left them alone. Catching up on a decade was going to take some time.
“How did they capture you?” her father asked.
“We were looking for you,” Kit said. “I went home to visit.” She realized there was so much they didn’t know yet. “I have so much to fill you in on. Most importantly, once we get out of here, there’s someone I want you to meet.” She told them about meeting Balastar and the GTO’s promise to help Vertans. Only then did she tell them Balastar was her psi-mate.
Veera smothered her with hugs and questions and sympathy for being separated from her mate. It nearly brought tears to Kit’s eyes. Yeah, being separated sucked.
The guards returned around an hour later, and the Vertans were herded to a waiting
transport. Looking out over the grounds, Kit noted that the space was now empty of the massive machinery and the shipping crates. Someone was in a hurry.
She took a seat between her mom and dad. “Where do you think they’re taking us?”
“We have no idea,” Akio said. “They told us when we arrived that this would be our home for the rest of our lives. Something changed.”
“So it’s true then,” Kit said. “They’re keeping you to make portals.”
“Yes.”
“This may be a stupid question, but why not just go home when they ask you to make a portal?”
“If any of us leave, they’ll attack Vertan for replacements and kill many more.” Akio squeezed his wife’s hand.
“We have to stop the guild,” Kit said. “All of it.” The situation was messed up beyond belief.
The trip to the spaceport was quick. Dani and her parents sat near them, and Thomas told them about the Portal Master’s assumption they needed many Vertans to create portals and their belief they could anchor to an existing portal.
“Only those with Sandarian blood can do that,” Dani said.
“We guessed as much,” Veera replied.
By some unspoken agreement, they breezed past the Sandarian security checkpoints. Literally breezed. The guards turned their backs to them as they passed. They were taken directly to a planetary shuttle. Within thirty minutes, they had docked at the space station and quickly taken to a starship. Burns scowled at them as they passed by and Kit returned the glare. Asswipe. She feared for the wellbeing of Torgid and Madge, but from the looks of it, the guards were coming with them. There was hope in that.
The Vertans were assigned rooms and locked inside. They had the decency to keep couples together, but stuffed her in a cell alone. She sat on a small cot, the only piece of furniture in the metal cell, and leaned against the cold wall. It would take Balastar days to get help from Armond, and they were leaving Sandaria. Had she just sealed their fate?
***
Loc walked around the monolith. As soon as they’d left Sandaria’s orbit, it had begun to fade. The red glow that had emanated from within for five hundred years was dimming. What if it never returned? The odd energy had dissipated as well. Had he single-handedly destroyed the guild?
Surely, the monolith would return to normal as soon as they approached their new home world in less than a week’s time. Along with the red glow, the annoying buzz on his psi had stopped. He gazed upon the mysterious object, willing it to divulge its secrets. Everything would be fine. A period of adjustment, perhaps, but it would revive. It had to. A chuckle rose from within and threatened to become a full blown fit of laughter. I did it. It had been close. The arrival of the Cavacent brat and the others could have destroyed his plans, but here they were aboard a passenger ship. The massive cargo transport that contained all they would need to build a new home was flanking them. Mother Goddess, I did it!
Moving the monolith had proven to be much more difficult than anticipated. The narrow passage that led down to the inner-sanctum was too small for antigrav carts and forced them to use a combination of Portal Masters’s combined psi and makeshift platforms built every few steps to raise it from the sanctum. It was tedious work as they had to rest at each platform. Things were complicated further when it turned out the stone had a curious effect on those involved. Most became rapidly exhausted, but a few had exhibited erratic behavior and had to be physically removed from its presence. It was almost as though it was resisting the move. Fascinating to be sure.
Finally, after cycling through the Portal Masters and apprentices, they’d managed to get it to the surface. Next, they’d carefully strapped it down on a grav cart and brought it here next to the engine room. He had a sense that the powerful engine would provide a grounding affect for the artifact.
Old Merrin had happened upon them as they’d left the sanctum. The look of shock on his face was something Loc would cherish for rest of his days. In a delightful twist of irony, he ordered Merrin and his lackeys to be contained within the inner sanctum. Let them stew in the empty chamber for a day or two. He’d notify Sandarian authorities in due time. For now he would revel in his power. The laugh did escape this time. It was possible that, at this moment, he, Loc Zorton, was the most powerful being in the galaxy. The guild was his and his alone. The rush of power was exhilarating.
Tern interrupted his exultation, approaching from the cargo hold. “The Vertans have all been assigned rooms and are in lockdown. The woman with the funny hair is alone as we have an odd number now.”
“She’ll live.”
“May I ask your plans for our arrival?”
“You may.” Loc brought up a holo of Solorian. “I have purchased a recently abandoned resort here in the Dubuck Mountains in the eastern hemisphere.”
“Recently abandoned? Why?”
“A failed attempt at a luxury getaway. It’s too isolated. You’ll find the level of technology on our new world to be fairly backward by our standards. In fact, what we’re bringing is far beyond their current level of development.”
“I know. We felt that would be to our advantage,” Tern said.
“Indeed. I believe we will be largely left to our own devices. It’s perfect, really. You selected well.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Balastar hadn’t stopped moving since he boarded his ship. Fear ate at his insides. He should have stayed with Kit. No. This was the right thing to do. He’d left Sandaria immediately, dropping out of hyperdrive a safe distance away and close enough to inhabited space to be able to communicate. He put in a call to Rucon Cavacent and waited for a connection. Depending upon how the link was routed, their delay when speaking would be a mere thirty or forty seconds, or a painful couple of minutes. A few months ago all he’d have to do is get within com distance of an interstellar portal and the communication would be near instant with Earth. But since the portals were compromised and even suspect, that wasn’t an option.
He continued pacing. They would know his ship now so a stealth return wouldn’t be possible. He would have to use a portal but in order to do that he needed Armond. Or another Vertan. They should have thought of this. With Kit, Dani and Ian all gone, Balastar was helpless.
His com buzzed. “Hello Rucon. Delay check.” He waited forty-five seconds before Rucon’s voice responded. Approximately twenty-two seconds each way. Not too bad. He recounted his situation in one long burst and provided his location.
“Understood. Hold on while I bring Armond up to speed.”
Five minutes later Armond’s voice came through. “Your coordinates show you’re not far from Casdoon. I cannot use the Portal Master’s gateways therefore I must use our existing portals and conventional transportation. Marco and I will meet you there in two days’ time. We will discuss options when we arrive.”
Balastar hated to wait but it was the only way to return to Sandaria undetected. It was a massive risk. The Portal Masters wanted Armond back, but he was the last one able to use the distorters. If they lost him as well, the Cavacents would lose their portal making abilities.
Only until we get the others back. Failure wasn’t an option. “All right. I will see you in two days.”
Balastar spent the days in near constant motion. He lived in his gym and worked himself to exhaustion at night. It was the only way he could sleep. He’d push himself to his limit and collapse for a few hours before waking and tossing and turning the rest of the night. He couldn’t get comfortable without Kit curled up next to him. The absence of her touch and the taste of her lips haunted him. Being separated from your psi-mate was its own kind of hell. Kit was out there and he needed her back.
The appointed time finally arrived and he brought his ship into dock at the Casdoon spaceport. It was a relatively small and functional port. No expense had been wasted on making the place pretty to look at. Exposed heating and cooling vents along with electrical conduits were the primary decoration. Balastar waited for Armond and Marco in th
e station’s small lounge. Food printers occupied one wall and the rest of the area was taken up by tables and chairs. Again, purely functional without any frills. He walked over to the glass wall and peered down on the planet below. It was an industrial world. It’s primary function to process the raw materials from the asteroids that were so plentiful in this section of the galaxy. He was lost in thought when Marco and Armond arrived. There was no love lost between these two and they didn’t appear to have enjoyed their time together.
Marco’s usual affable expression was somber. “How are you holding up?”
“I need to get her back.” No sense in ignoring the obvious.
“We will.” Marco clasped him on the shoulder.
“You cannot be sure of that,” Armond said.
“Shut up, Armond.” Marco turned his back to the albino. “It’s good to see you Balastar. I’ve been stuck with this asshole for too long.”
“I’m simply stating fact,” Armond said without emotion.
Balastar took them back to his ship and they returned to the coordinates where he’d been waiting for the past few days. The chances of running into another ship were pretty much nil.
“You have a distorter on Sandaria?” Armond asked.
“We should. Kit left one with Torgid Astoroth. He’s an old friend of my father’s.” Balastar told them about the morning he’d been separated from the others. “So as long as they didn’t find it we’re good.”
Armond took a few minutes to locate the distorter’s signal. “It appears to be where you indicated, but we can’t be sure the PMs didn’t tamper with it.”
Balastar hadn’t even thought of that, it was a possibility of course, if the PMs found the device and modified it.
“I suggest we send Marco though first,” Armond said, turning to Marco. “If we don’t hear from you we will assume you’re on Vertan.”
“Works for me,” Marco said. “I wouldn’t mind being on the other side of the galaxy from you.”
Balastar was starting to wonder if Armond even had a sense of humor. Nothing phased the man as he continued speaking. “Lord Cavacent has requested I remain on the ship at all times.”
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